PLS HELP! Accidentally wore wrong aligner and very scared!:(

[ciccolina]

Ok so I am kinda frazzled right now and I am looking for someone, anyone to help me! Here is my situation:

I am currently on my 7th week of aligners (out of 25) and I am supposed to move onto week 8 this Wednesday night.

I've noticed that with this set of top aligners, while they never really hurt, they haven't exactly "fit" onto my top teeth as soon as my previous aligners...and by "fit" I mean like the space between the bottom of the tooth and the bottom of the invisalign.

Anyway, usually before I put on my new set of aligners I look at what the next set will look like (for encouragement!) and I guess somehow I got week 7 and 8 mixed up......When I originally went to put week 7 on it hurt SOOO much so I thought I maybe had played with them and accidentally put week 8 in there, and when I tried on week 8 it felt a lot better, but of course at the time I didn't realize that the week number is amongst a few other numbers at the bottom of the aligner...silly me I just thought it was a serial code in case it got lost or something! know I realize how silly that even sounds...

Sooo I just realized this tonight and I don't know what to do! I put on the original week 7 and it hurt like hell (obviously since I've been advanced a week!) and I just don't think it's smart to wear that since I've already been ahead, like somehow it may revert my teeth or something...

Anyway I have to go to school and work very early tomorrow and my ortho is in a state 2 hrs behind me, so I'm having my mom call for me when they open, but I am so worried!

Can anyone give me any advice or something? What should I do as of right now? What about on Wednesday? I just took my top aligner out right bc I'm so scared I've ruined my root or something and I'm kind of freaking out.......

[PaulInc]

I can only tell you what i would do. I'd leave the aligner in and tell my dentist/ortho as soon as possible. I wouldn't take it out or go back to the step i missed as I (in my unprofessional opinion!) believe that's much worse for your teeth than accidently skipping one. So, I would strongly recommend keeping the aligner in untill you get professional advice.

I highly doubt you've done any damage, so dont worry too much.

[John37]

I agree with the last 2 responses. Keep in the set you've been wearing. If they aren't fitting exactly, the ortho may want you to go back 1 or 2 sets, but wait to hear from him before doing that.

[Rosieee]

You need to go back to your previous aligner and wear it for 2 weeks and then continue onto the one you put in by accident.

If there is to much pressure on the teeth then it can cause root damage - it probably wont...but the aligners are made for the whole purpose of each tray being responsible for a certain movement...so keep that in mind if you decide to stay with tray 8.

My ortho said if for any reason i happen to have the aligners out for a few days then I will need to go back to the previous tray and start form there.

[PaulInc]

You need to go back to your previous aligner and wear it for 2 weeks and then continue onto the one you put in by accident.

If there is to much pressure on the teeth then it can cause root damage - it probably wont...but the aligners are made for the whole purpose of each tray being responsible for a certain movement...so keep that in mind if you decide to stay with tray 8.

My ortho said if for any reason i happen to have the aligners out for a few days then I will need to go back to the previous tray and start form there.

He has already worn the aligner for a full week or two (whatever interval he is on).

[RenaissanceGurl]

Don't freak out.

It is not really a big problem you created there though it might be a bit painful.
Don't go back to the previous aligner, just continue wearing no.8, if it makes you happy (and your teeth less sore) for 1 or 2 weeks longer than usually.

Seriously, there are still these myths around about causing too much movement in a short time with Invisalign - I actually asked my ortho about it, and he just explained that when you compare the movement Invisalign causes to regular braces, it is ridiculously limited in one set of aligners - which makes perfect sense to me.
You won't wake up with a pillow full of teeth because of skipping one aligner

BTW, this happened to me as well, and my ortho just made me switch trays as usually after 10 days of wearing the "wrong" one (I was on a 10-day-change-schedule).

Cheers!